Sixteen days after the death of Prof. Henri Bergson, newspapers in both occupied and unoccupied France continue publishing extensive articles on the philosopher’s life and work, hailing him as “a great Frenchman,” although playing down his Jewish origin.
A typical article in La Petite Gironde of Bordeaux, in occupied France, does not hesitate to declare that Bergson’s existence proved the French were not a degenerate people. Papers which usually engage in Jew-baiting, such as Candide, join in the chorus of eulogy.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
